1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to compartmented containers made from a single blank of material and specifically to a container wherein a plurality of transverse dividers are positioned to receive at least one partition from the bottom of the carton such that the number of compartments made by the transverse dividers is doubled.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Compartmented containers capable of securely carrying a wide assortment of inventory have been manufactured for many years. For economic reasons, single blank compartmented containers which require the least number of cutting, scoring and folding operations have become the industry standard. Manufacturers have further determined that retailers prefer pre-assembled containers which are easy to ship from the manufacturer and require minimal post-shipping assembly to complete erection of the container. As profit margins continue to narrow, retailers want the capacity to securely ship increasingly more parts per container without a corresponding increase in post-shipping assembly activities necessary to erect the containers.
Early containers similar to that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,300,116 to Grashege, formed compartments when one or more sidewalls folded into the bottom of the carton and two dividers perpendicular to the sidewalls with slots positioned along the entire length to accept the sidewalls were inserted from the top. Aside from the reality that these containers required an inordinate number of cutting, scoring, and folding operations is the fact that a relatively high per unit cost resulted from the container's design that required multiple surfaces of the container to be formed from overlapping and redundant panels. Even though this container permitted the manufacturer to ship the pre-erected carton in a fully collapsed and flat position, it required a considerable post-shipping assembly process prior to final erection of the container.
In an effort to overcome the shortcomings of this compartmented container, U.S. Pat. No. 5,088,641 to Shepard discloses a container made from a single blank, with multiple cells formed by a transverse divider located at the bottom of the carton. The reference further discloses the capability of this design to support additional compartments by adding an additional divider inserted from the bottom. This particular design clearly resulted in a container that required less material to construct and a reduced effort to erect the finished container. The six, eight and ten-compartment embodiments however, required an increasingly larger number of post-shipping assembly operations prior to final erection of the container.
Clearly there is a need for a compartmented container that provides an increased number of compartments without also requiring a concomitant increase in the post-shipping assembly effort necessary to erect the container.